Dead man walking
by Rebel Don
Summary: Post R2. After the requiem Lelouch lives and must begin a journey to be reuntited with C.C. while trying to uncover a political plot that threatens all he has worked for. Will he be able to find C.C. and save the peace he sacrificed everything for or will everything fall apart.
1. Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking

Lelouch vi Britannia was dead.

His hellish reign had been put down by the glorious Zero champion of the people. And Lelouch had resigned himself to his fate as his friend slid the blade through his gut and he fell down to the awaiting ground. He was ready for the cold icy embrace of death and the endless emptiness that nonexistence would bring. So for the longest time there was nothing. Nothing to see, nothing to feel, nothing to think because he was nothing

Then

Blackness

Total and complete blackness was the only thing Lelouch could feel. As though all the light from the world had been sucked away and all that remained was inky suffocation darkness.

Every part of his body burned in pain and as he tried to draw breath his lungs quivered from the strain. When he tried to move his arms they wouldn't budge held down by their own weight.

'So this is hell eh. I must say the church overstated the horror of it. Aside from the pain and immobility it's not so bad, certainly not fire and brimstone bad at least.' Lelouch thought to himself 'I suppose this will be my punishment hmm an eternity alone, in pain, and immobile. It beats some of the things I was expecting but it doesn't matter this is my penance and I will serve it until the end of time.' And so he did laying there waiting for the end of time as we know it. Until

A flash

For a split second he saw a white line just above and to the left of his head. Then another and another followed my watery murmurs and drowned out voices from the outside. He couldn't understand any of what was being said at first but eventually began to understand words and phrases until he heard something that not only told him where he was but also the gravity of his situation.

"And here ladies and gentlemen is the marble sarcophagus of the late 99th emperor of Britannia and the horrid Demon king. He was placed in this museum as empress Nunnally's alternative to the people's desire to rip the corpse to pieces and burn it. At least this way he's making some revenue" some woman said through a microphone followed by a chorus of giggling

He wasn't in hell; he was in a casket in some kind of museum. In other words he failed. His plan was hinged on his death and that pivotal element was now gone. Somehow someway he had survived not only his impaling, blood loss, starvation, dehydration and cataclysmic organ damage but he also seemed to notice he was making a slow recovery. There was only one thing that had ever granted someone regenerative powers such as this.

A code

Which could only mean that somewhere during her time with him C.C. must have somehow passed on her code to him without his knowing.

'Damn that woman to the blackest reaches of hell, how the fuck could she do this to me. Didn't she know that my death was all that was keeping the world at peace. Was this some kind of misguided way of _saving _me, did she feel _happy_ when she did it, glad that she could lighten her burden and embrace death' and then it hit him and he understood what he was saying.

'Oh my god C.C. is probably dead by now and I'm here cursing her and damning her. She's gone and all I had to say about her was how mad I was she ruined the requiem. Of course she wanted to die, I gave her no alternative. It was either live and wander the earth alone waiting _another _god knows how many years before someone comes along to take her code or give it to me and end all her centuries of pain.' He thought as a thin trail of tears slid out his eyes.

'I couldn't even grant her wish could I, I promised her she'd die with a smile and I bet she just killed herself in some gutter alone wishing I wasn't such an uncaring ass. I don't deserve this life; I don't deserve a second chance; I didn't deserve her compassion; I should be dead too burning hell for all the atrocities I've committed. I suppose I should stay here in this box and live out the rest of my days in solitude hoping that wherever she is she can forgive me.' Lelouch thought to himself as his tears stopped falling.

'Lelouch' a murky voice called out through his mind

'What the. C.C. is that you where are you C.C.' he thought franticly

'Lelouch… live on… please… find me… Lelouch' the voice called before fading into the mist of Lelouch's mindscape.

'No. C.C. why C.C. why the hell can't I stop hurting everyone around me. I can't even die without condemning someone to an eternity of pain. Mark my words I will find you C.C.; I will lose my code and we will be together. This is my contract my oath I Lelouch vi Britannia will come to and no force on earth can stop me.'

He felt the numbness of his limbs recede and fill with vigor that he hadn't known in years as he pushed up on the stone lid of his sarcophagus. With every ounce of strength he had in his feeble limbs he slid the slab of and onto the floor where it shattered.

He hadn't been blinded with the bright light he had expected and instead saw a dimly lit domed ceiling.

'this place must have closed down while I was thinking. If this plan is going to work I need to get the hell out of here before someone finds me. I don't need a taste of what C.C. went through with Clovis if I can help it'

As Lelouch began trying to sit up he the pain in his chest flare up violently before he flopped over the edge of his sarcophagus and onto the floor

"AAAHHHH!" he screamed as he felt his wound reopen and the flow of blood begin anew 'shit. There's no way someone didn't hear that or the slab breaking. And I'm in no position to get away I can hardly sit up let alone run.'

With the sound of approaching footsteps he became panic stricken and franticly tried crawling away from the noise before flipping onto his back.

'I can't believe I'm going to lose like this on the floor and weak as an infant. I need power I need strength to fight back I need… my geass' he thought as he reached up to his eyes and removed the contacts he had known for so long. 'it's a long shot but it's the only chance I have right now.'

He gathered up every single ounce of strength he had left and managed to stand up and look towards the entrance of the room as two security guards entered and shined a flashlight at him.

One of the guards raised his gun and leveled it with Lelouch's forehead "halt grave robber take of those robes and identify yourself or I will fire."

Lelouch opened his mouth and began to speak but found his voice raspy and weak from disuse. "I…den…ti…fy?"

"Ya you piece trash your name just because everyone hate that guy doesn't mean you can defile his tomb." The second guard yelled gesturing to the empty sarcophagus and shattered lid.

'Hmm so they hate me as much as I thought that's good at least.' He thought before putting on his most malicious smile and purposely making his voice sound even raspier and more demonic "my… name is…my own…but…to you…i…am… L.L." he groaned smiling when he saw the fearful looks in the guards' eyes.

"We didn't ask for you goddamn initials we asked for your name. Answer now or we will shoot you." The second guard answered shakily raising his gun as Lelouch slowly walked towards them.

Lelouch smirked as he continued his unsteady march towards the two men. "Ah yes… my name… it's... Lelouch"

The first guard looked at him with a disbelieving look on his face. "Fuck you say boy that's the emperor's… no way" he said before looking to his friend with a look of true terror.

"That's right gentlemen. Lelouch, as in" he said before sweeping his arm across his face in his usual dramatic fashion "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, obey me"

The guard didn't move for what felt like minuets and Lelouch began to think that his ruse had failed and his geass had left as C.C.'s had. Then however the two took the familiar slack jawed stance and bowed to Lelouch before unanimously chanting "yes your majesty"

Lelouch began to feel his legs give out underneath him and started teetering towards the ground as the last of his strength left him. "Damn it, you two I command you to carry me."

"Yes sir." They saluted before slinging one of his arms over each of their shoulders and marching out of the mausoleum and down the halls, ignoring the slight wince Lelouch let slip as his chest flared up again.

"Good now get me to a vehicle, do you understand?" he ordered though a strained voice trying to hide the discomfort he was in.

"Where would you like us to take you your majesty?" One of the asked as they neared a garage

"Away from here." Lelouch answered as he felt himself start slipping into unconsciousness. "Far far from here"

AN: this was an idea I had while I was redoing a different work of mine which I'm sorry to say is no longer on the site. Rereading it made me almost sick to my stomach and I was embarrassed that my writing had been so childish so until I tweak it this new work will have to do. I hope to make a long series of Lelouch and C.C. after the main series detailing their lives both together and apart after the end of the series. Reviews are always welcome and will almost always be responded to is they offer advice or criticism. Thank you for reading I will try to update faster than in the past.


	2. Miss you

I miss you

The light chirping of birds and the sound of wind ruffling the leaves filled the European countryside as a lone wagon rolled forward. Its driver had his face hidden from the sun's oppressive heat as he continued his long journey to sell his hay crop in town. Unbeknownst to him was a certain green-haired stowaway that happened to be using his cart as a bed. She had drifted off to sleep a little over an hour ago and had been enjoying one of her ever less frequent happy dreams of pizza and cheese-kun until it took a sour note when she saw a face she had been trying desperately to forget.

He appeared wispy and ghostlike like he was made of smoke and was stumbling through the world of C hunched over mumbling something she couldn't understand, as though none of what he saw was making sense to him. She began walking towards him cautiously, fearful that he was simply an illusion brought on by her own grief, and placed a hand on his shoulder surprised not only that it didn't pass through him but also at how bone-chillingly cold it was.

"Lelouch, Lelouch can you hear me, it's me C.C." she asked softly as a sense of skepticism and curiosity began to grow inside her.

He whipped his head up and turned towards her revealing not only the fact that his twin geass emblazoned eyes were almost glazed over but also a mark on his neck that made C.C.'s heart quiver "what the, C.C. is that you. Where are you C.C." he screamed

C.C. looked at him and then down to his neck again and there clear as day despite the rest of his body being vaporous was the clear mark of a geass sigil even giving off a slight glow much like her own. She felt as though all that pain of the past two months had melted away in that single instant and she couldn't stop herself from crying tears of joy and throwing her arms around him.

'He's alive. He's alive somewhere and that means I can find him so long as that idiot doesn't try to give up his code. Oh no that fools probably already thinking about giving some halfwit moron geass just so he can die again. I can't let him do something so stupid' she thought regaining her composure while placing her hands on both of his shoulders and looking him in the eyes.

"_Lelouch_ I want you to listen very carefully. I need you to make sure you continue to _live on_ until I can find you. _Please_ don't do anything stupid like giving up your code so you can die or something. You won't _find me_ waiting in the afterlife for you if you do something that stupid okay boya." She finished before she saw him start fading away as their connection was severed and she was left standing in the world of C alone.

'I hope that boy heard all that, though it was his first time here after all, but he'll learn and once I find him I'll have an eternity to teach him. Mark my words Lelouch, I will find you and we will be together.' She thought happily before waking up still on the wagon she had been on all day.

She looked around her once more before grabbing her bag and jumping off the back of the wagon beginning her long search for her lost love.

Lelouch was once again jolted from his pain induced slumber as the car he was in hit another bump in the road and his head hit the door. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the past two hours since he and his two new helpers had begun their journey to god only knows where.

Lelouch had been doing his best to think despite his condition and even from where he was sitting he had been able to see road signs indicating he was somewhere in the Britannian homeland. His first and foremost goal was finding a quiet, out of the way place to let his wounds heal themselves however after that he would need to begin the arduous task of not only finding someone to give geass to but also learning how to give it in the first place. He was at least glad he had managed to use the shock image sequence somewhat effectively on a guard that had almost stopped him and his new entourage at the door to the parking garage but he probably should have Geassed him to increase his new found army.

For that matter he still wanted to know why the hell his own geass hadn't forsaken him, but was willing to ignore it for now. So long as his two servants were accepting his orders he could care less why he still had his power and was still thankful it hadn't left him.

Geass aside he still needed somewhere that wasn't moving and bumping so that he could regain his strength properly without reopening his seemingly never shutting chest wound.

Lelouch managed to awkwardly sit himself up before he beckoned to the guard sitting in the passenger seat and getting his attention "Guard, I need you to stop somewhere where we won't be found for a while, understood."

The guard crisply saluted Lelouch and responded with the same sentence he had heard constantly during his reign "Yes your majesty."

'I suppose some things will never change eh' Lelouch thought as he felt the world spin once more and his world started turning black "good then I'm going to sleep for a bit. Please do your best to wake me when you find a suitable location."

As he began to drift off into his pain induced sleep a single image managed to lodge itself into his thoughts leaving him with a soft smile plastered on his face. Within his mind's eye along the shore of a lake in the imperial gardens stood C.C. with her beautiful green hair lifted gently by the breeze. It had been one of the last times he had seen her and remembering it now he was ashamed he hadn't seen the pain that was festering just below the surface of her shining golden eyes.

As Lelouch let himself be consumed by happy thoughts of his reunion with her in the afterlife once he found a way to die he could scarcely hear the faint whispers of the very woman he was dreaming of.

Suzaku Kururugi was having a truly awful first month as Zero.

Within hours after Lelouch's death he had been inundated with interview requests from the press as to the black knights' new affiliation with the Britannian government and then he had been asked the same question by the knights he was now supposed to be leading.

After stating that the black knights would now become the royal guard and elite militia of her majesty empress Nunnally he was hoping to find a place to compose himself and relax, but he hadn't expected to start be looked to as the new emperor and head decision maker while Nunnally was in distress. So from dawn till dusk every day for the past month Suzaku had been fulfilling all the jobs Lelouch had during his time as emperor, unfortunately for him Lelouch had been a true micro manager and hadn't appointed anyone to assist him in ruling. Which was fine for someone like Lelouch who had the ability to manage military operations, direct domestic policy, deal with public image (well maybe not that one), and keep everything in his empire under control while still finding the time to sleep at night.

Suzaku was no that type of person. He lacked Lelouch's elegant and efficient way of dealing with problems and I the last month alone he felt the stress had taken at least a year off his life expectancy. He would give almost anything for Lelouch's talent for politics and dealing with people, especially the media.

If one group had mad his time so far as Zero a nightmare it had to be the fucking news crews who had almost sensed that they would no longer be shot for asking questions and used that right to an almost foolish extent. Suzaku finally understood why dictators censored the media. In the short moth since he became Zero he had been asked anywhere from some of the most outlandish and idiotic questions ever uttered by human beings to deep social questions that should never be answered in front of millions.

He still remembered the one he had been asked moments ago as he walked towards his limo to go oversee the preparations for the viceroy's place in Tokyo to become the new capital.

flashback

"Mr. Zero. Mr. Zero. How do you respond to the situation involving the late emperor's body?" some hotshot reporter asked stepping in front of Suzaku and shoving a microphone up to his helmet.

"I'm afraid I wasn't aware of any situation but I assure you all that should something be amiss it will be rectified as soon as possible. Now then if you could please move I must get going" Suzaku calmly responded before trying to move the man aside only to be stopped by another reporter.

"sir what about the fact that shortly after the incident two guards were found missing and another near the parking garage was in a state of complete mental breakdown"

Suzaku felt his heart miss a beat before he did his best to maintain his mask of confidence. "I'm certain the other two guards will turn up soon. As for the third he was obviously traumatized by the attack and will be questioned once he regains his composure."

Once again just as the prior reporter left another swooped in and continued blocking Suzaku's way making him wish he could simply shove them aside until he remembered how he was meant to act noble and kind all the time now. "Lord Zero while on the subject of trauma, how much longer will it be before empress Nunnally's crowning ceremony and her ascension to the throne as the nation's true leader?"

Ah now this question was one of the more annoying ones that had been tossed around as of late, not only because it made him feel as though people didn't like him leading but also because it seemed to be a slam against Nunnally's ability to lead.

"Her majesty is still dealing with getting over the pain of losing her only real family member. As you are all aware he was the only one who took care of her after they were banished to japan. Despite his actions he still held a dear place in her heart and such a wound will take time to heal. As for the crowning ceremony that is really up to her majesty and not my place to speculate. Now if you would all be so kind as to move I must be going." Suzaku responded as he forcefully moved the final reporter out of the way and finally managed to sink into the back seat of his limo.

End flashback

When he finally had the time to digest the words of the first two reporters Suzaku became immediately worried. He was almost positive that the incapacitated guard was C.C.'s doing however he wanted to have facts before he acted not simply the words of some reporter. He took out his phone and called his closest advisor and one of the very few people who knew the truth about C.C.

He quickly hit the number that was proudly perched at the top of his speed dial list and waited while it rang until he was answered by the almost robotic voice of her voicemail

"Yes this is _the_ Kallen Kozuki the incredible pilot who beat the infamous knight of zero. If you calling to arrange a meeting with me or want to grovel at my feat please kindly fuck off. If you are a member of the armed forces or the black knights and your problem matters call me on my emergency radio frequency. If you are a friend of mine or Zero then leave a message and I call back soon. Bye"

"Kallen, its Zero I need you to look into something for me if it's not too much trouble. I got a report about Lelouch's body being taken and one of the guards on duty was found in a state similar to the one cc left me in on Kamine Island. If you get a chance look into it okay, thanks bye."

Suzaku hung up and leaned back in his seat letting out a long pent up sigh. In a few moments he would arrive at the new "capital" of Britannia to begin another thrilling day of writing the word zero at the bottom of papers, and answering idiotic reporters' stupid little questions.

He was almost positive that wherever he was Lelouch was having an easier time than him.

AN: I just wanted to again thank the very few of you who read this and the very one of you who give enough of a shit to review. Thanks to "renielle14" for the, albeit short, review. To answer the question there won't be many _direct_ C.C .x Lelouch scenes early on (due to them being separated) but later there most certainly will be.

One last note is in relation to Suzaku and whether he would be better with Nunnally or Kallen im rather impartial to one or the other and am looking for feedback from you the fans.

As always please do review and know that it is always greatly appreciated.


	3. L's world

L's World

Lelouch's consciousness returned to him as one of the guards began shaking him violently and painfully smashing his head against something in the process.

'I suppose "do your best to wake me" means break my skull open' Lelouch thought sarcastically as his eyes managed to open.

When the guard saw his master's eyes open he stopped and stood at attention before saluting Lelouch. "Sir, we feel this cave is the most adequate shelter we could find to meet your specifications."

Lelouch looked around his dark surroundings and saw it was your typical cave, wet, dirty, dark, except that is for rays of light shining in from the mouth.

'They must have driven all night. Good we must be far from wherever the hell I was.' He thought pleased.

Lelouch propped himself up against the wall more and cleared his throat as best he could before addressing his men in the closest thing to a kingly tone he could muster.

"I want the two of you to go get me some food and a bit of water in addition to anything you think may help with my survival. After you return with those supplies you are to return to your homes and forget what has happened. If asked why you left your posts you are to tell people that you were trying to catch a grave robber but he eventually eluded you both."

They crisply saluted him before turning on their heels and leaving the cave. Once he felt they were out of earshot Lelouch let himself slump over into an undignified heap once again wincing as the exit wound on his back rubbed against the stone.

He couldn't figure out why, but he didn't want to look weak in front of those two even if they were mindless geass warped thralls.

'Old pride dies hard I suppose.' He thought as he managed a laugh that, happily, it didn't hurt.

'I must be getting better. Good I'll need to be up and at it if I want to find someone to give this code to.' He thought happily as he felt his eyelids start falling shut.

Lelouch yawned and curled himself up in a ball on the cold stone floor 'I best rest while those two are gone. Once I can walk I'll get going but for now it wouldn't hurt to just sleep'

As Lelouch saw the now familiar blackness of unconsciousness cloud his vision again he felt his eyelids slide completely shut as he passed on into dreamland.

xxx000xxx

C.C. had been trekking across the European countryside without rest for the last fourteen hours and, despite the joy she still felt at knowing that Lelouch was alive, she was beginning to tire of her journey. She had covered at least 20 miles during her hike but still didn't see any sign of civilization save a few sparse lights horizon that had to be many, many miles away. As she was hiking it had become increasingly difficult for her to continue after the sun went down and after her third taste of dirt she decided it was a good time to sleep for the night.

After finding a nice rock overhang near a small pond and she decided to sleep there for the night "I really should have stayed on that wagon till I got to a town." She said to herself as she sat down by the pond and took off her destroyed shoes to massage her sore feet.

Looking at the remnants of her shoes and the rest of her outfit she suddenly realized how absolutely unequipped she was to be tromping around the globe to look for her lost Lelouch. In only the first day of her journey she had already managed to destroy her shoe's soles, tear her corset in three places on low branches, lose the edges of her dress to a hungry thorn bush and almost get dirt on her last Cheese-Kun. When she went over to the pond and looked into it she saw that her moon-lit reflection was now a far cry from the royalty it had been only a few months ago. Her hair was coated in so much dirt that it had gone from its natural green to an almost brownish color and her braid had come undone which was letting her hair get everywhere. Not to mention her face which was no longer white as porcelain but had become an almost tan color reminiscing of someone who sunbathes far too often. She looked down and thought for a minute that it was another person and was reaching down to cup some water in her hands to wash away the grime when an idea came to mind and she decided to leave the muck where it was.

C.C. smiled as she left pond and nestled herself under the overhang she would be using as shelter. "Might as well let this dirt work for me a little and besides it never hurt to play the part of the helpless girl in need right Marianne." C.C. said as her smile fell "Oh ya I forgot your gone now. Which means I'm back to being all alone again." And she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them "Just like before."

As C.C. was wallowing in self-pity she remembered the reason for her current location and felt a slight wave of relief wash over her. "What the hell am I thinking, I'm not all alone. I still have Lelouch and as soon as I find him things will be back to the way they were before." She said hopefully before she found a small hole in her plan. "All that leaves is finding him."

In truth she C.C. really hadn't put as much thought into her plan as she ought to have. Simply trotting off in some random direction was hardly a productive use of her time and she had no way of knowing Lelouch was or where she was going anyway. Aside from C's world she had no way of contacting him and she didn't even know if he was able to comprehend how to access it on his own yet. And then there was the pleasant matter of actually getting from A to B while evading most of the governments of the world since she had been labeled the 'Wicked Witch of Britannia' for her relationship with the 'Evil Demon King Lelouch' during the requiem. Though she supposed she should be flattered, she had gone from local witch and town scourge to enemy of the known world, quite the step up in her book however it still made travel a nightmare.

Unfortunately for C.C. she was a rather noticeable individual as it was very easy for someone to point of the girl with flecks of green hair poking out from under her hat. Which was why almost immediately upon hearing the new, no doubt self-proclaimed, 'Minster of Civil Defense' Cornelia li Britannia proclaim C.C. an enemy to the new peace of the world she fled to the countryside of Eastern Europe in order to find people who had yet to hear news of her.

Huffing in annoyance C.C. plopped Cheese-Kun down and used it as a pillow before lying on her side and looking at the stars and the moon. "There isn't any point in dwelling on it now I'll come up with a plan tomorrow." She muttered as she drifted off to a pleasant dream of Lelouch and pizza.

xxx000xxx

Lelouch felt his consciousness return to him when he noticed a strange feeling he had forgotten in the past few days. Or perhaps it was the lack of feeling that was strange.

The constant steady and potent pain he had been in since he awoke from his tomb was oddly absent and his breaths came without pain of effort. As he was contemplating what was happening to him he opened his eyes and saw, not the rock ceiling of the cave, but an eerie dark violet sky.

As Lelouch looked around he sat up and looked at his clothes he was amazed to find himself wearing, not his bloody robes, but his old jacket and jeans with nary a rip in sight. As he got to his feet he started taking in his surroundings and saw that wherever he was it certainly wasn't the cave he had fallen asleep in. In place of the bare rock walls of the cavern were stone walls like those of a medieval castle with ornate candle holders jutting from the walls every few meters and intricately carved columns rising up into stone arches with angels atop them. As he looked around he began walking, once again curious at the lack of pain he felt but still thankful for it, and soon came to a corner and found himself in a grand walkway lined with floating pictures framed in dark wood and gold.

As he was looking around, Lelouch's mind drifted back to his brief visit to C's world and he realized how similar it and his current location were.

It was then that Lelouch started remembering what the pictures in her world represented and an idea came to mind. Lelouch walked up to the nearest painting and saw it was of the night his mother had been killed. Clear as day was the crisp image of his sister trapped underneath his mother's bloodied body with an ever-widening pool of crimson surrounding them.

As he looked closer he remembered the pain and sorrow he had felt that day and absentmindedly brought his up hand and brushed it along the picture's frame.

Though as Lelouch's fingertips touched the wood he felt a jolt and watched his surroundings liquefy before reforming into the base of the stairs in the palace where the murder had occurred. He looked at his hands and was startled to see that they weren't solid but rather ghost-like as was the rest of him. Looking around he was perplexed by what he saw before or rather the fact the he didn't see any blood or bullet holes or his mother's body for that matter.

Before he had a chance to ponder any further he received his answer when he saw his mother walk down the stairs with Nunnally beside her and… and his uncle the treacherous V.V. approaching them with a machine gun tucked behind his back.

Lelouch was felt his chest tighten as he realized what he was about to witness and although he wanted nothing more than to leap forward and stop the inevitable he knew too well that he was a ghost to them and so he did the only thing he possibly could.

He closed his eyes tight turned his back to the scene and clasped his ears shut trying with all his might to forget what was happening. After a few seconds he thought it must have been over and so he uncovered his ears only to be greeted with the pounding sound of a submachine gun and the horrified screams of his little sister all topped with the mad cackles of V.V.

He felt his heart twist in agony as his uncle's laughter reverberated through him as he was on the verge of tears something in him snapped and he turned around with a look of distorted fury of his face and he let the rage in him guide his body on a direct collision course with where V.V. had stood intent to rip him limb from limb only to run headlong into something hard as stone. Lelouch reeled backwards clutching his bleeding nose and was about to throw a punch at his uncle when he realized he was back in the grand hallway surrounded by pictures and looking at a part of the wall with a small splash of blood on it.

Looking around Lelouch realized that the entire event was a memory exactly like the one that C.C. had shown him in C's world.

Which meant that he had bloodied his nose over a figment of his own imagination

Lelouch huffed in annoyance "Great nothing screams crazy quite like pointless self-mutilation. At least I'm alone."

"That statement isn't quite accurate Lelouch" Chimed a voice that sounded exactly like Lelouch's own.

Turning around Lelouch was met with what appeared to be a mirror image of himself, even wearing the same clothes as him, standing and facing him expectantly.

Feeling his sanity slip at the arrival of his quest Lelouch raised an accusatory finger and pointed at the 'other him' "Who the hell are you, and why the hell are you in here."

"I'm the curator of your memories the one who tends to this place. I understand you met one similar to me in C's world, correct?" the doppelganger responded calmly.

Lelouch's mind drifted back to his brief time in C's world and he remembered the one giving him the tour was like C.C. only devoid of personality and reasoned that must have been her 'curator' as the man before him was his. "So if you're the curator you must know why things are different here right. Last time I was here everything was bright green and white and now it's all dank and dark."

"I regret to inform you that I have access to no more information than you do. This position does not give me divine knowledge about the inner workings of geass of this place, it merely lets me collate and organize your memories and past. All I may offer is speculation based on the observations you yourself have already made." The curator said coldly

Lelouch ran his hand through his hair irritated by the man's unhelpful answer "so what your telling me is that you know no more about this place or what's happening than I do?"

The curator raised his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat to get Lelouch's attention "While that is true it wouldn't diminish the value of cooperative thinking in order to better ascertain your situation. You are correct in that I don't know any more than you, however the theories I have may prove useful to you. In the end though it is your choice, I'm little more the most logical parts of your mind given physical, or perhaps metaphysical, form."

Lelouch again found himself wanting to huff in irritation at this newest annoyance in his path. But was able to see the wisdom in its words and decided to hear him out. "Very well 'curator' let's start simple shall we. Kindly tell me how you came to be here."

"I simply was here. I have no information regarding what caused me to come into existence but given the coincidence with your arrival it is likely as a result of you manifesting heightened control of your code or stabilization of your body's condition,"

Nodding in approval of the man's answer Lelouch continued his questioning "What about this place" he said gesturing his arms at their surroundings "this place has done a complete 180 since I was here with C.C. why is that?"

"It is most likely that this place changes directly as a result of the temperament of whoever holds the code. While C.C. had a surprisingly light and childish personality at heart you have a very serious and dark one, therefore it is quite possible that this place is a reflection of you."

Upon hearing this Lelouch felt the tiniest bit insulted at the thought that he was this dark and depressing. Sure he only ever smiled when it was to manipulate someone, and the only times he had fun he had been doing it out of desperation, and the only time he had only been really happy was when he finally died… and he was starting to see the pattern. "If you're nothing more than my mind than how do you know all these things while I don't?'

"Like I said before I don't 'know' any of these things, my theories are merely speculations and ideas. As for why you didn't come to the same conclusion and me, it is likely due to the fact that I am only a manifestation of your logic and not emotion. You are still dealing with the sudden change you have undergone and it is affecting your thought processes, which is understandable for someone in your position."

Hearing the curator's words Lelouch began to understand his situation and calmed himself before resuming his barrage of questions. "Earlier you said that you tended to this place and managed my memories. What did you mean by that?"

"In the moment I became a conscious entity I had already gained a complete understanding of our shared past and knowledge. Moments after my inception I reasoned that it was my purpose to ensure that your mind remained clear and functioning despite the multiple lifetimes worth of data that would soon be added to it and to ensure that you remain you despite centuries of time" the curator responded automatically.

"So it's your job to ensure I never become a babbling moron who can't remember anything even after I've been alive for millennia?" Lelouch confirmed

"That would appear so. This would explain why both C.C. and V.V. retained many of the mannerisms from their time as mortals despite their age. It would make sense that while your body can simply remains unchanged your mind would need a more personalized touch lest vast amounts of data simply be deleted from memory."

Lelouch nodded thoughtfully, now satisfied with the information he had to work with and the slightest bit gladdened knowing he would have someone to help him deal with the mess that his life currently was.

"You said memories correct" Lelouch asked while turning around to look back at the painting with a look of concentration on his face

The curator walked up and stood beside him quietly before he began speaking in a robotic tone "If you are referring to the paintings then you are correct in the assumption that they are your memories. For all intent and purposes it seems that they act as viewing mechanisms allowing you to relive moments of your past. From what happened earlier it seems that physical contact it triggers the relapse and I would advise caution when touching random frames."

Finally feeling like he had gotten all his questions answered Lelouch turned and looked down the vast walkway for a moment taking in the size of it before setting off at a slow pace towards the next picture. "Come curator, its time I get to know myself again."

xxx000xxx

Suzaku was drumming his finger on a large mahogany conference table as he listened to Cornelia drabble on about some new plans she had for dealing with the civil unrest in the homeland that had started after Lelouch's death.

Suzaku started to let his mind drift and soon could hardly hear the buzz of Cornelia's voice. He hadn't paid leading much mind since he kept telling himself that he was little more than a figure head and had been relieved when he found Cornelia, Tohdoh, Guilford and even Oghi willing to step up and take charge.

Not looking forward to leading the nation himself and was, despite what he told everyone that asked, doubtful of how competent Nunnally was he quickly appointed the four of them to high ranking positions in the government.

He made Tohdoh the Commander and Chief of what remained of the armed forces ever since the arms reduction last month. Cornelia had almost proclaimed herself the Minister of Civil Defense and homeland security and had since then been working tirelessly on eradicating the resistance pockets that were springing up. Oghi was now the head of foreign affairs and was working to get the rest of the world's forgiveness for the actions of the late emperor Lelouch. Guilford had surprisingly taken up the mantle of public affairs minister and from what he had heard was working with Cornelia to pin as much blame as possible for any problems on Lelouch and his followers which C.C. was sadly a part of.

Suzaku remembered the public address he had to make after Cornelia had declared C.C. 'The greatest threat to global peace' in which he was forced to agree with Cornelia and rally people to hunt her down. While it made him sick to his stomach to condemn C.C. he felt confident that she would be able to elude capture until the whole incident blew over.

"Zero." Cornelia's voice chimed calling Suzaku from his thoughts.

"What, Cornelia?" he responded trying not to let them know he wasn't paying attention.

"I was asking you whether you approved of deploying a contingent riot troops and knightmares into California to quell the uprising." She said feeling a vein in her temple bulge slightly are her rulers blasé attitude.

Suzaku's mind momentarily went blank as he thought about the outcome "oh that. Well I uh suppose that…"

"It would be best to deploy low impact spec ops teams and undercover agents to quietly defuse the riots before they start, rather than use troops so as to avoid a political fiasco" Sounded Kallen Kozuki coming to his rescue as she walked through the door to the conference room. "That is what you were going to say wasn't it _Zero_?" she asked putting emphasis on the name she knew was a façade.

"Yes that is precisely what I was about to say. Thank you Miss Kozuki." Suzaku said thankful he didn't have to look like a fool in front of his cabinet.

Cornelia and Guilford both glared as Kallen stood next to zeros seat before Guilford's annoyance got the better of him "I wasn't aware that key government decisions were being delegated to simple Knightmare pilots now."

"They aren't. They're being delegated to Zero who delegates to me. If you don't feel comfortable with me making decision I don't see how you would feel any better about him making them.

Guilford stared at Kallen and Cornelia huffed while stacking a pile of papers. "Might I ask what brings you to this meeting miss Kozuki? It's not usually your place to barge into meetings uninvited."

"If you must know I'm here on zeros orders regarding an assignment he gave me" Kallen said beckoning zero to follow her "and due to the sensitive nature of the issue it would be best if it was discussed in private. I'm sure you can handle a single meeting without Zero's 'brilliant decision making skills."

Suzaku rose from his seat and followed Kallen out of the conference room. "I apologize for this but I'm sure you can all manage in my absence. I'll see you all tomorrow." He said before shutting the door.

"So _Zero, _politics not treating you well." Kallen chuckled

As they rounded a corner and got to Suzaku's room he closed the door and pulled off his helmet tossing it on the floor. "Stow it Kallen. You know I hate this useless political bull shit and the whole acting nice and proper thing is starting to drive me crazy. I haven't been allowed to pilot a knightmare since I faked my death three months ago. And yesterday there were these reporters who were just begging to get spin kicked and…"

"Whoa there mister anger cool your jets, I don't need your whole life story I just thought I'd make some idle chit chat is all" she said helping him take off his oversized cape "you ought to think about changing some of the fashion policies of Britannia. They might be fancy but the capes and puffy outfits kind of look stupid once you take time to look."

Suzaku pulled down the face mask he was wearing and tossed it on the pile with his cape and helmet "yea well that's another thing I hate about Britannian politics the clothing is all stupid. All that said I'm sure you didn't come here just to bad mouth the government with me. Was there any merit to what that idiot reporter mentioned?"

Kallen's features stiffened and went from those of a happy friend to those of a worried solider "Unfortunately yes, but I'm afraid it's worse than we thought" Kallen said solemnly as she raised a small laptop and placed it on a coffee table "I was able to get all the security footage before anyone else and deleted it after I got what I needed. After that I went to the guard who was knocked unconscious and spoke with him about the incident." She said as the computer finished booting up and she started looking for the footage. "mostly all he said was gibberish but he distinctly remembered a disheveled looking man walk up to him and brush against him before he lost it."

Suzaku raised an eyebrow for a moment before his was gripped with horror "No it couldn't possibly be…"

"After I checked the security footage I found that all but one of the cameras had been shot before they got a glimpse of the mysterious man. The only footage i managed to get was a quick shot from the camera over Lelouch's coffin and what I saw was… disturbing." Kallen said as she turned the laptop around so suzaku could se and hit play.

It was a simple image looking down on the coffin and for a few seconds Suzaku prayed that someone would run onto the screen and steal Lelouch's body and deface the coffin.

Suzaku was not so lucky for at about the fifteen second mark he saw the coffin lid almost blow clean off and land shattered on the ground with two skinny arms still dangling in the air. As he looked on in horror he saw his dead best friend lamely flop out of the casket and start crawling away.

Suzaku looked sternly at Kallen who only nodded at him as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before typing on laptop until he found the file containing the footage. In a single swift motion he deleted it and shut the computer trying not to think about what he had just destroyed before looking at Kallen "Not a word all right. We can't let this get out and we aren't to pursue him. No matter what." He said sorrowfully

Kallen looked at him softly and them wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought him in for a hug "You made the right call; this is what he would have wanted."

"I know. That's what worries me."

zzz000zzz

AN: to anyone still out there I'm terribly sorry about the unforgivable delay between my updates. I recently had a colossal computer malfunction and have been working for the past month to buy a new one.

I'm almost ninety percent sure I'm going with Kallen for Suzaku and most likely and an Oc for Nunnally but I still haven't decided and nothing in in stone _quite_ yet.

As for Knightmare fights they won't be coming along for a few more chapters because I haven't built up an enemy worthy of deploying twenty ton war machines yet but be patient it will come just like actual C.C. and Lelouch scenes

Once again reviews are appreciated and make me feel like I'm doing more than just sitting here typing on my computer… well I am but it still feels nice to know people are out there reading what I write.


	4. Nightmare

Nightmare

C.C. was licking her lips as she sat in a decadently fancy restaurant staring at the beautiful masterpiece that sat before her in all its cheesy glory.

The greatest pizza she had ever laid eyes on was sitting just inches in front of her on an ornate mahogany table steaming and casting its aroma her way.

It wasn't the usual giant pizza she dreamt of but a small one foot diameter work of art loaded with the most dizzying assortment of topping she had ever seen. It was laced with everything pizzadom had to offer, from simple tomato melted cheddar pineapple and anchovies to insanities like cherries oranges and banana. It almost looked as though all the food in the world was packed in the small circle before her and the smell was something akin to getting a whiff of god himself.

C.C. gazed at it a moment longer and just when she thought it couldn't get any better she saw a familiar hand reach forward with a pizza-cutter and cut off a slice. Her eyes trailed up the arm as it placed the pizza on a small white plate and held it in front of her face hiding two joyful amethyst eyes behind it.

"Here you are C.C., I hope you like it, this pizza cost me a fortune and a half to get for you." Lelouch said jokingly

"Oh Lelouch its wonderful you finally managed to get here on your own. I'm so glad to see you." C.C. said leaning in for a kiss only to be stopped by an arm on her shoulder.

"C.C. you should really have the pizza first. There's no rush to have me. I'm immortal now after all I'll still be here no matter how long you wait." He said as he looked at her with soothing face. "You don't need to be in such a hurry to find me I can handle myself just fine. Take a break and maybe I'll even find you."

"But Lelouch I need to find as soon as possible I don't want to wait or else something might happen to you." C.C. said letting herself become uncharacteristically panicked and anxious.

Dream Lelouch got up from his chair next to her and walked behind her placing his hand gently on her shoulder "you don't want to find me _that _badly do you? Just let me come to you and I'm sure everything will work out. But first please have some of your pizza and tell me about where you are. Then by the time you wake up I'll be there and we'll be together again."

"Lelouch are you sure you can find me on your own I'm in a pretty harsh part of the world and you just woke up. It would be safer if I came to you." C.C. said placing her plate down next to the large one on the table only to have the plate almost forced back into her face by 'Lelouch'.

"please please Carina you must eat and then we can talk" He said, momentarily unaware that C.C. had stiffened into a statue.

"Lelouch, what did you just call me?" she asked without turning to him and ignoring the plate in her face.

"Why I called you be your name my dear. The beautiful name you told me two years ago. Have you been alone so long you've forgotten your own name?"

C.C. sat silently for a moment before she spoke three simple words that instantly shattered her trance like state "You're not Lelouch."

"What? Of course I'm Lelouch. Look at me carina how could you doubt that it's me. Please eat you must be hungry, that's the reason your acting like this all of the sudden. Just take a bite carina and I'm sure you'll feel better." The would-be Lelouch asked as bit of the skin on his face flaked off and revealed a swirling mass of blackness beneath.

"Whatever the hell you are I'm positive it's not Lelouch and I sure that eating that food won't be good for me no matter how good it looks. Now if you don't mind I'll be going." She said standing up only to be violently pulled back into her chair by inky black arm that had sprouted from the so-called Lelouch who now looked like some kind of evil black apparition.

"now carina" it said with a now watery and echoing voice "I can't let you go until you finish your meal after all you know what starving does to an immortals body" is said, with what appeared to be a pout in it's face, as a black tendril grabbed the plate and held it before her now free of the illusion it wore before.

What had once been a delicious slice of heaven had transformed into a deformed pile of shit along with the rest the room she was in. The crimson velvet and soft cloths had been morphed into grotesque masses of flesh that seemed to ooze an ungodly stench that made C.C. want to vomit.

"Now are you gonna eat this or will I have to shove it down you little throat, because believe you me I'd be more than willing to." The creature said stepping in front of her and looking down with sadistic red eyes as it tightened its grip on her limbs.

Seeing no alternative C.C. did the only thing she could think to do when she was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Taking a deep breath C.C. relaxed all her limbs and closed her eyes as if trying to ignore the being in front of her.

Said creature had taken notice of her sudden change in posture and for a moment was puzzled, until he remembered what she was capable of and raised a fist to stop her only to fall short by mere milliseconds.

As the blow was about to connect with her nose the sigil on her forehead flashed bright red before she vanished from sight pulled from her nightmare down into the world of C causing her dreamscape to implode.

xxx000xxx

Somewhere in an unknown location sat a man alone in a dark room with his face obscured by a long hood. He was sitting in a circle of candles and had his hands in his lap seemingly meditating peacefully. That was until he was slammed against a wall by some sort of telekinetic force leaving him breathless.

In moments bright light were flicked on and two armed men rushed in the room and helped him up before looking him over for wounds.

"Sir are you alright?" one of them asked.

"Ya what the hell happened?" the other added.

The man brushed himself off and smoothed out his robe before making his way to the exit "It seems that our prey is far more resilient that I had anticipated." He said before letting a devilish grin form on the exposed part of his face. "No matter, the prize will still be ours in the end."

xxx000xxx

Lelouch had been idly wandering around his world for what had felt like weeks looking at and reliving most of the memories he came across save some of the more traumatic ones like Euphy's death and anything from the Japanese invasion. However what had started as an excellent attempt to collect his thoughts and prepare for the days ahead had turned into to him and his 'curator' trying to figure out how you get out of this place and back to reality. So since the realization that they knew of no exit the two had been walking in a single direction hoping to eventually reach some kind of door or perhaps portal of some kind to get him out of here.

"Mr. Lelouch I still don't think that we'll find anything if we continue. It is probable that this world is circular in nature which would mean we've been going in circles." The curator said plainly

"If that were the case then we would have seen the same picture more than once which we have yet to ergo we haven't gone in a circle. Yet" Lelouch corrected without looking back.

"So the genius Lelouch's plan is to simply continue walking until something hopefully advantageous occurs." The curator said still showing no emotion save for a microscopic drop of sarcasm.

Unfortunately the drop didn't fall on deaf ears and raising his eyebrow Lelouch took the chance to try and ream his new companion. Turning on his heel and facing the curator Lelouch looked at him with fake shock on his face "Was that _sarcasm _I heard, why _I_ thought you had no emotions _Mr. _Curator? How is it then that you managed to almost crack a joke at my expense?"

Not missing a beat the curator simply continued walking towards Lelouch and stopped next to him "You are aware that your trying to outsmart yourself don't you?" he said before continuing on leaving Lelouch to think for a moment.

As Lelouch turned around to make a counter argument both he and the curator were momentarily blinded as the horizon in front of them lit up with a blinding flash of green light.

When the light had faded the distant edge of the sky had remained the same shade of green as the flash and after a few brief moments to examine it realization hit Lelouch like a ton of bricks.

"Cecelia." He muttered to himself in absolute disbelief before sprinting off towards the light leaving the curator to catch up.

xxx000xxx

Zero stepped out of the limo for another exiting day playing the joyous role of politician.

While he was certain his role was little more than a bargaining chip for Britannia foreign policy on the global stage Suzaku was still forced to act and behave as though he was the ruler of the nation.

And of those duties the one he despised most of all had to be the dreaded daily press conference. Whatever the point of gathering a cluster of reporters together in one room was simply beyond him but nonetheless he still had to stand in front of them for the next thirty minutes and answer some of the most moronic questions he'd ever heard.

As he stepped behind the podium and tapped the microphone clearing his voice he knew the onslaught was about to begin.

In an instant all the reporters began squawking waving their arms in the air like a bunch of grade-schoolers waiting for the teacher to call on them. Part of Suzaku told him to simply stand there till they shut the hell up but experience reminded him that they could, and would, do this for hours.

"Yes you in the front." Suzaku muttered signaling to a Japanese male seated nearest him.

"Mr. Zero, what is the current situation in the homeland? Reports indicate widespread rioting in LA and other cities on the west coast. Dose the government not care about the welfare of its citizens or is it simply too incompetent to deal with the situation?

Ah yes, this was by far his favorite type of reporter. The snarky jackass who didn't really ask a question so much as try to make someone look stupid. Were Lelouch here the man before him would have already been verbally humiliated so brutally that he wouldn't leave his house for the next year, sadly Suzaku was no Lelouch and he simply answered plain and true.

"At this time we are deploying infantry battalions to try and peacefully disperse the crowds and reinforce the police forces in the area. Said troops will remain until such a time that stability has been restored." Suzaku said calmly before pointing to a Britannian woman in the middle of the crowd "You in the third row"

"Is there any word on when Empress Nunnally will be coroneted?"

Suzaku exhaled a mental sigh as he thought about the question. Why the hell wouldn't these vultures leave her alone? She's a little girl for Christ's sake and they wouldn't stop pestering her to get over Lelouch. "As everyone already knows the young empress is still dealing with the death of her only real remaining family member. As far as the date of the coronation is concerned _that _decision is entirely up to Nunnally and I would prefer it if I wasn't asked anymore about personal matters. Next question please." He said pointing to young Japanese woman near the front.

"Sir rumor has it that you and miss Kallen Kozuki in a romantic relationship together. Would you care to comment?"

Suzaku felt his face turn red as a lobster thankful it was under the helmet. "I'm afraid I fail to see how my love life is any concern of the public, next question." Suzaku said semi-desperately as he pointed to a man in the very last row who was wearing an oddly casual sweatshirt with the hood up.

"Sir People are still wondering about the fate of the late emperor's remains and those of the two guards who went missing. What is your opinion on the situation?"

"There is an investigation going on at this time and it has yet to yield anything useful I'm afraid."

"Then would you care to explain this security footage." The reporter said as he pointed a small remote at Suzaku and a button that started the TV behind him.

For a moment Suzaku's world stopped as time slowed down each second ticking by in the now silent press room as everyone watched with bated breath. He had a faint hope that this wasn't the same footage but just as he was about to turn back around and face the man he saw the coffin lid fly off and shatter before Lelouch flopped out and crawled away.

It took only a moment to happen and before Suzaku could blink the reporters all rushed the podium cameras flashing and the feeding frenzy had started.

And in the chaos no one noticed the hooded man walking out of the room with a devilish grin on his face.

xxx000xxx

C.C. was hyperventilating as she looked around to make sure she was out of that horrible nightmare and back in the safety of C's world. Whoever or whatever it had been in that dream certainly wasn't natural and despite everything in her mind telling her it was just a dream she still took no chances and decided to force herself in here.

"Ms. C.C. were you injured?" asked the ever dull voice of C.C.'s own curator (aka most boring person on earth).

"Yes im fine I suppose it was just a bad dream. Not that you _actually _care any." C.C. said annoyed.

"Very well then if you aren't injured then you might be interested in the development on the horizon." The curator said monotonously.

C.C. looked at the horizon and noticed a strip of purple off in the distance against the usual green and for a moment pondered it before the gears in her head started turning.

"Lelouch." She said before sprinting off top seed at the distant light.

zzz000zzz

AN: we finally start to see some conflict start building up as we see some of the mischief our bad guys are up to.

What do they want with Lelouch and Cecelia? How did they get the footage of Lelouch? How will Suzaku handle the political ramifications of a Zombie Emperor?

All this and more in the next chapter of _Dead man Walking._

Also I still like getting a review or two to help me improve what I'm doing.


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